Ruffino debuts in Bolgheri, strengthening its Tuscan soul with Garzaia Bolgheri Superiore 2023

Ruffino, one of the historic names in Italian wine and today owned by the American giant Constellation Brands (with a 2024 turnover of 105 million euros), is further strengthening its Tuscan soul. With the arrival on the market of the first vintage of Garzaia Bolgheri Superiore 2023, made exclusively from grapes grown in Ruffino own vineyards in Le Sondraie, where 11 out of the 15 hectares are located (the remaining 4 are on the Via Bolgherese), the company completes a key step in one of Italy most prestigious wine territories (where one hectare of vineyard is valued between 750,000 and 1 million euros, ed). These vineyards enrich an ecosystem which now includes over 585 hectares, nearly 400 of which are in Tuscany, spanning Chianti Classico (with the estates of Poggio Casciano, Montemasso, Gretole, Santedame, and La Solatìa), Montalcino (Greppone Mazzi), and, of course, Bolgheri; and 190 hectares in Veneto, with Poderi Ducali, which includes Ca’ del Duca and La Duchessa, dedicated primarily to Prosecco and Pinot Grigio. Garzaia marks Ruffino debut in Bolgheri, signed by Olga Fusari, senior winemaker of the historic Tuscan winery and an expert in the Bolgheri denomination. The wine name comes from the local place-name “la garzaia”, identifying areas where several species of herons nest collectively, building their nests very close to one another, often on the same shrubs, just a few meters apart.
“A project I dreamed of for a long time and that we built from scratch, not by buying an existing company, but by choosing the vineyards exactly where we wanted them, that is, in the Sondraia area and along the Via Bolgherese, where a new winery dedicated to the project will soon rise  - said Sandro Sartor, long-time ceo and now president of External Relations at Ruffino (while Simon Towns, International Managing Director at Constellation Brands and already a board member, takes on a more direct leadership role within Ruffino) - and, toay, this debut (presented at the renowned Michelin-starred restaurant La Pineta in Marina di Bibbona, run by the Zazzeri family, ed) is for me the final step in the Bolgheri journey I envisioned, and it completes Ruffino Tuscan identity”. “This first vintage, 2023, warm but well-balanced, is composed of 70% Cabernet Franc and 30% Merlot, but the blend may evolve in the future, because our intent is to interpret the territory in pursuit of balance and elegance”, commented winemaker Olga Fusari, who has followed the project from the beginning (after many years at Ornellaia, ed).
Garzaia production aims at the high end of the market, debuting as a Bolgheri Superiore and remaining a boutique-scale wine: the first release is around 15,000 bottles, a figure which is expected to remain stable in the future to maintain the highest quality. It is conceived to stand alongside the company flagship Tuscan red wines: the iconic Riserva Ducale Oro Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, Greppone Mazzi Brunello di Montalcino, and the IGT Toscana wines Modus Primo and Alauda. In doing so, Ruffino further strengthens its presence in Tuscany most prestigious terroirs, on a path that will celebrate 150 years of history in 2027.